Sound-indicator for vessels.



No.772,676. I i 'PATENTED 00T.1s,1 902.

J. SGHIESSLER.

sown INDICATOR-FOR VESSEL S.

I APPLIOAi'ION FILED DEC. 26, 1903.

UNITED STATES Patented October 18,190;

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEF SUHIESSLER, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

SOUND-INDICATOR FOR VE$SELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters iPatent No. 772,676, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed December 26, 1903. Serial No. 186,731. [No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnr SOHIESSLER, doctor and scientician, residing at 15 Wimbergergasse, Vienna, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary,have invented certain new and useful 1mprovements in Sound-Indicators for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The object, of this invention is to catch u p and indicate sounds transmitted by and through water and produced, for instance, by the propeller or paddle-\vheel of a vessel or by the dead-water of such a one or by the uniform movement of the oars, thus by any one uniform noise lasting some time.

The principal object, however, of the invention is to indicate the direction of movement or the approach of a vessel not yet to be seen, maybe at night or in a fog. The indicator is also intended for use with men-ofwar and in connection with the fortifications of harbors, so as to afford a protection against men-ofwar and torpedo-boats of the enemy. Also collisions may be prevented by this invention, which is applicable also in the noise of a storm.

The apparatus consists of two main parts. one of which is arranged on deck of ship, whereas the other is submerged into the water and connected with the other main part by means of a tube. The upper main part may be located also in a cabin, but the best position is at the compass of the ship. The submerged part is the sound-receiving device and consists, in the whole, of a polished'cylindrical metal casing adapted to resist the action of seawater. The mantle-surface of this casing-is provided with a number of openings arranged like the division of a wind-rose or con]- pass-cart, the number of said openings being right, or sixteen, or more, as desired. The horizontal section through the sound-receiving apparatus shows cight openings with its accessories,whereas in the larger vertical section (shown in Figure .2) only two of the openings with its accessories are visible.

Before proceeding further with the spccilication I refer to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a vcrt ical section thrmlgh the indicating apparatus. Fig. 2 is a similar section through tlusound-receiving apparatus, the

connecting-tube between the two being left away. Fig. 3 is a plan of the middle part of Fig. 1; 'and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through Fig. 2, drawn on a smaller scale. I

Each of the openings (0, Figs. 2 and 4, is connected by means of a polished metal tube 7) with a metallic chamber 0 of a cubical shape, as shown. The pipe 1) contains a steel cylinder (1, of highly elastic material. I prefer to employ steel for the cylinders (Z because steel and iron are the best conductors of sound for the purpose in question. According to the researches of \Vertheim the conducting capacity of steel amounts at a temperature of 20 centigrade five thousand and thirty three meters per second, while sound-wavcs travel one thousand four hundred and titty-four mate's per second in sea-water and three huudrcd and thirty-three meters in the open air. Opposite to the pointed inner end of the cylinder r/ is arrangml. inthecasing c, a plate w, consisting of a silver alloy and being insulated from'said casing. The alloy is prepared with particular attention to a very great elasticity for the reasons which will be more fully explained hereinafter.

Behind the plate I is an adjustable pinf, also consisting of the alloy in question, the two parts and f'scrving to close an electric circuit in such a manner that the intensity of the current liowing through said circuit may be changed. Owing to this purpose, the contact rj' may be replaced by a suitable microphone, preferably such in which carbon balls are employed.

The wires Ii, connected with the contact parts 0 f, extend upward through the connecting-pipe between the soundreceiving apparatus and the indicating apparatus. The latter contains as many galvanic elements E and clectromagncts M as there are contacts rf in the submerged apparatus, the arrangementof the parts E and M being the same as the arrangement of the steel cylinders in the lower apparatus.

Suppose a vessel is pl 'ing flu-(nigh the water at a certain distance from the sulnncrged device. The souml-waves generated by the moving vessel are propagated through the water with a velocity of fourteen hundred and I ,iron wires or of chemically-pure pulverulent iron inclosed in a glass tube surrounded by gbhe boli bin or coil of the magnet, the obgect of this arrangerlllent being to prevent the arising of remanent magnetism. Now in consequence of the electromagnet becoming thus excited astatic needles i 71, inc'losed in a casing it, are actuated by the respective magnet or magnets. The casing 7 contains also a false botto l, consisting of iron and supporting an ordinary compass-needle This needleis by the iron bottom l protected against the influence of the electromagnet, but the astatic needles are not, and there is thus formed an angle between the needles 11 21 and the needle d this angle affording the possibility of reading the direction from which a sound has come. This may be greatly facilitated by combining the needle or needles with a rose in such a manner that an adjustment of one with respect to the other is possible. The circuit contains also a bell G, which rings as long' as current is passing through that circuit. The circuit contains also a switch H, serving to disconnect,the latter with a telephone T, by means of which the indication of the needles may be controlled and which also allows of ascertaining whether the sound is produced by a propeller,.,a paddle-Wheel, or the like. The telephone permits, further, of judging upon or estimating the speed and direction of the moving vessel. In order to cause the sound-receiving apparatus to catch up only sound-waves coming from a certain definitive direction, the outer surface of the casin'g is polished, so that disturbing waves are reflected. The base or outer surface of the steel cylinder d is plated with platinum and rendered rough, the object of the platinum being to prevent the steel from being attacked by the sea-water and the object of the other means being to cause said surfaces to not reflect the waves arriving at these surfaces.

The casings c are inclosed in a common leaden casing n, covered with a layer of cotton' Between this layer and the casing 79 of the sound-receiving apparatus is a layer of white firewood 1 impregnated with parafiin. The space inclosed by the lead casing n is filled with hydrogen, or another gas incapable of conducting the sound-waves with the same speed as air would do. A similar elfect could be obtained by means of a-vacuunr. Also "the steel cylinder of the sound-pipe is p110- vided with a covering of lead, caoutchouqor wood. The isolating-covering extends upward to above the level or surface of the water. In order to prevent the astatic needle from indicating two directions'at a time, an

.odd number of electromagnets is made use of, and each bobbin is surrounded with a mantle of brass to prevent a mutual induction. Each of the electromagnets is further connected with a relay by which another circuit is closed, so as to cause one of a colored series of lamps to glow, and thus to indicate the direction'.

As only those sound-waves effect an indication which arrive in a radial direction with respect to the sound-receiving apparatus, the sounds produced by the vessel provided with the apparatus do not cause the closing of a circuit or circuits, and if the apparatus is acted on by several vessels provision may be made to cause the excited magnets to close a separate circuit, causing aseparate incandescent lamp provided for said purpose to light tive disks 6 andpins f; may also be made use of for the purpose in question, and the whole apparatus may finally be used in the open air to indicate the direction and intensity of sounds, such as produced by-a steam-whistle or siren or the like.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1 The combination,in a sound-indicator for vessels, oi a sound-receiving device adapted to be inserted into water and provided with sound-receivers disposed in radial relation and cooperating with sensitive transmitters, an indicating devicearranged above the soundreceiving deviceQa tube connecting the two devices, electrical circuits between the transp- The frequency of the contact at the respecmitters of the sound-receiving device and the indicating device, electromagnets included in the circuits, astatie needles arranged for actuation by the electromagnets, and an ordinary compass-needle disposed above and separated IIO from the astatic needles, substantially as described.

52. 'lhecombmat1on,1nasound-indlcator for vessels, of a sound-receiving devlce adapted to be inserted into water, an indicating de-' vice arranged above the water, a connectingtube between the two devices, the sound-receivingdevicc having steel cylinders arranged radially therein and adapted to be. influenced by the sounds propagated by the water, yielding electrical contacts adapted 'to beclosed by the said cylinders,circuits including the said contacts, and electromagnets excited by the current passing through the circuits, and astatic needles so arranged as to be adapted to be actuated by the electromagnets, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a sound-indicator fo vessels, of a sound-receiving device adapted to be inserted into water, an indicating device arranged above the water, a tube connecting the two devices, means for catching up the sounds, means for closing electric circuit by the same, electromagnets excited by the current passing through said circuits, and astatic needles so arranged as to be adapted to be actuated by said electromagnets; the sound-receiving device containing a wooden lining impregnated with paraflin, a layer'of cotton, and a casing of lead, the latter inclosing the sound-receiving devices proper and the two devices as well as the connecting-tube being filled with hydrogen or an equivalent gas, substantially es described and shown and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, in a sound-indicator for vessels, of a sound-receiving device adapted to be inserted into water and having a series of metal cylinders, metallic chambers into which said cylinders project, vibratory plates disposed in said chambers and cooperating with the cylinders, adjustable pins arranged adjacent to the plates, electrical circuits in which the plates and pins are included, an indicating device arranged above the s0und-receiving device and connected to the latter by a tube, electromagnets in the indicating device included in said circuits, and astatic needles arranged for actuation by said electromagnet's.

5. The combination,in asound-i ndicator for vessels, of asound-receivingdevice adapted to be inserted into water and having a series of radially-arranged cylindrical means for initially receiving the sound and intensifying transmitters cooperating with said initial receiving means, a sound-indicating device arranged above the water and connected to the sound-receiving device, electric circuits in which the transmitters and electromagnets are included, astatic needles on the sound-indicating device and influenced by the electromagnets, a compass-needle, and a, metallic false bottom between the compass-needle and astatic needles.

6. The combination, in a sound-indicator for vessels, of a solind-receiving device adapted to inclosure with circuit-closing devices cooper-,

ating with sound-receiving means, said circuit-closing devices including adjustable contacts and metallic yielding diaphragms, an indkfitting device having electromagnets therein an connected to the sound-receiving device, the indicating device also having astatic and compass needles disposed therein and separated fromeach other, and electric circuits between the parts of the sound receiving and indicating devices.

8! The combination, in asound-indicator for' vessels, of a sound-receiving device adapted to be inserted into Water and havinga series of radially-arranged cylinders, metal cylinders arranged in said cylinders, metallic chambers into which the cylinders project, said chainbers'having yielding plates therein with which adjusting-pins coo perate,- the said plates being formed of silver alloy, an indicating device arranged above the water, a tube connecting the sound receiving and indicating devices, electromagnets disposed in the sound-indicating device, electric circuits including the chambers and electromagnets, and astatic and compass needles on the indicating dlevice, the astatic needles being influenced by the electro* magnets, the circuits also including audible and visual signal devices.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two wi tnesses.

J OSEF SGHIESSLER. Witnesses:

ALVESTO S. Hdeuu, Ausns'r FUGGER. 

